Where are the obstacles in Vaikuntha? There may seem to be obstacles, like Aristasura galloping down the road toward the residents of Vrindavan. They immediately take shelter in Krishna, and Krishna protects them. Even in Goloka Vrindavan, there are no demons, but there is the sense of demons. What is the purpose of that? It is there so that they can take more intensely their shelter in Krishna.

We're not lacking in the answers to the how-to questions. That is not where we're lacking. We are lacking in hearing properly. If we could hear properly, we would have all the how-to answers, abundantly! A whole basket full of how-to answers! But we have beans in our ears. We can't hear. But that is how one can understand and come to the position of realizing Krsna through devotional service, through the medium of hearing, through sound vibration.

-- Adapted from a lecture given by Srila Romapada Swami in honor of Gita Jayanti, in December 2007.

Because everything comes from the Supreme, when it is used in relationship with the Supreme, it has a spiritual quality. The original spiritual quality of things becomes restored when they are used in relationship to the Supreme. Everything comes from the Supreme, so it has its original spiritual quality, but the original spiritual quality is lost if you don't use things in relationship to the Supreme. But if you use those things in relationship to the Supreme, they can act spiritually!

-- Adapted from a lecture given by Srila Romapada Swami on the occasion of Gita Jayanti in December 2007

Instructions are meant to be followed, understandings that are given by the spiritual master are to be implemented in one's life, commitments are to be actually applied in one's life, the things that one hears in classes are meant for practical application also – these are all instructions along the same line, which are telling the attentive audience that devotional service is practical, not just a "shmooz time" when talking on spiritual topics. It is meant to be practically implemented, and when one does so, then spiritual progress takes place. That implementation may be problematic, and it may require relinquishing of attachments and patterns of behavior, etc. But instructions are for application, in practical terms. That is my repeated point.

The essence of devotional service is choosing to subordinate oneself to love. Willingly, we subordinate ourselves to love. We become controlled by love!!

Love is on another platform besides and beyond duty. Bhaktivinoda Thakura teaches this. To engage in some activity because we are obliged to do so or because it is our duty, that is good. But it is not on the same platform of love. On the platform of love, one does so because of the dedication to the beloved – “because I want to do so”.

Adapted from a lecture by His Holiness Romapada Swami entitled Subordinating Our Free Will (Day 6), given at Mangalgiri, Vijayawada during the South India Yatra in 2011.

"Spiritual life, religious life, means to gradually progress through different stages of understanding very clearly not only that a Supreme entity exists, but what and who that Supreme is, and how I am to develop my understanding and my relationship with that Supreme Being. Starting with that initial faith, sraddha, then sadhu-sanga or association with saintly persons follows. Bhaktivinoda Thakura describes that that seed of sraddha accompanies the jiva all the way to the stage of love of God. In other words, it's just like a seed that you would plant in the ground. Within that little seed is the potentiality of a whole tree. That is God's arrangement. Similarly, within sraddha there is the potentiality of love of God. That sraddha, as well as love of God, is intrinsic to the soul.

While prosecuting spiritual life, we should be very cautious to not have circumstances take our attention away from what our purpose is. We should stay fixed in our purpose: vyavasayatmika buddhir ekeha kuru-nandana. What is that purpose? That buddhi is Krishna's happiness. We are the servant. Krishna is the master. We want to be situated in our relationship of servant unto the master.

Adapted from a lecture given by Srila Romapada Swami on SB 5.8.1-11, The Pastimes of Bharata Maharaja – Part 2, in March 2011 in Vrindavan

"By glorifying the process of bhakti directly...one is also glorifying the object of devotion, or one is glorifying Krsna directly. Because bhakti is manifest by the internal potency of Krsna, and the internal potency is nondifferent from the Lord, so the Lord is being glorified."

-- Srila Romapada Swami, 3/13/00 IITD, Bhag. 1.8.33-41

How can we understand the plan of the Lord? Unless the Lord reveals, we cannot understand His plan. If that confidential relationship exists with the Lord or His devotee, then one can receive the mercy that is available through the process of bhakti, because the process comes through a person. Ultimately, Bhakti devi is an expansion of the internal potency of the Lord and the bearer of that potency is a person. To get the mercy, we need to be at the feet of that person who is giving bhakti. That is Krishna's system. So, in order to open our hearts to what the process of bhakti can offer us, we have to open our hearts to the persons who are delivering bhakti.

There's a nice instruction that Lord Caitanya has given, found in Caitanya-caritamrta. Lord Caitanya describes that the process of hearing is not a mechanical process. Rather, the type of hearing that one has to take up requires different ingredients in order to get the proper understanding. One ingredient emphasized is hearing in disciplic succession. Another that Lord Caitanya presents is hearing with one's active intelligence -- with the senses and the intelligence fully activated, fully engaged. Hearing is not a passive process.